Corpse Hunt Party
by Rikkumorningstar
Summary: Mai learns of a horrifying spell called the Sachiko ever after cham that has caused a domino effect in the veils that separate hell and earth. She's aware that Naru has enough power to stop it but she is terrified that she'll have to lose him forever in order to save the rest of humanity.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

For as far back as I can remember I have been having nightmares of a rundown school. The floors have holes and pitfalls scattered throughout them all; it's a wonder the school doesn't collapse with me still inside. However, that wasn't what made it so terrifying. This particular school was a nightmare long before it became rundown and unusable. The principal of Heavenly Host Elementary School was the start of its downfall and the reason for the loss of so many lives. Whenever I would find myself within its walls the silence was always deafening. The place stunk of death which was no surprise considering all the corpses that were scattered about.

I never once told Naru or any of the other members of SPR about this. I can't recall why...perhaps I was afraid. Afraid that Naru would become intrigued and want to drag us all out there to investigate. But the truth is that I didn't even know where "there" was. Supposedly the elementary school was torn down and a high school was built in its place. And if the school was no longer erect then why was I dreaming about it now 50 years later? It just didn't make sense since some of the corpses I had seen lying about were dressed in school uniforms that even I recognized to be current.

I shot up in my bed, recovering from yet another nightmare; how many has that been now, I've lost count. However, this time the dream had been slightly different. It took place in a different school and these kids were much older. I believe high school age. They were gathered around in a circle, each had one hand gripping the edge of some sort of, I don't know, paper doll. I wanted to yell out to them not to do what they were about to do whatever it was, but it was almost like I was not a part of the dream, like I was only a spectator. One of the girls who appeared to be the leader of the group, started to explain to the rest what they were about to do and then they all became quiet. I hadn't heard anything the girl had said, but my sorry excuse for a skill of reading lips had allowed me to catch bits and pieces here and there of her explanation. Something about a Sachiko Ever After charm and needing to say "Sachiko, we beg of you" for each person in the room.

When they were finished with whatever they were doing they then proceeded to tear the doll into eight separate pieces, and that's when all hell broke loose. The ground began to shake and tear apart. The screams-oh God the screams-were unbearable! They were screams of pure terror, undiluted horror. What just happened, what did I just see?! Who were they, would they survive the fall or would they be crushed and killed instantly?! And if they did somehow manage to survive where would they end up? Why hasn't anybody reported them as missing?!

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and then decided I would go to that school in the morning and ask around about the kids from my dream - I mean, maybe it hadn't happened yet or maybe it wouldn't happen at all...maybe I was just going crazy...

However, once I got to the school and started showing the surprisingly unbelievably well drawn sketches I made of the missing kids to the arriving students...no one even recognized them. OK so maybe I was going crazy and I only say this because the alternative would be so far beyond worse. Because if my dream was just as accurate as all the dreams I've had on previous cases, then that would mean that I was the last person to see this group of kids alive. And if there were any chance that they could still be alive then that means that this has now officially become a case and I would have no choice but to tell Naru...And at that very moment nothing frightened me more.


	2. Chapter 1

As I climbed the steps to Naru's office I began to feel sick, my heart pounding a brutal bruise into my chest. I knew that I would not only have to tell him about my most recent dream but also that I had kept from him all the nightmares I had had pertaining to Heavenly Host since I had joined with SPR. I don't know exactly how I expected him to react but honestly that's not what worried me. I was more scared of how I would react should Naru suddenly order us to perform the Sachiko charm in order to save the group of, no doubt, scared missing students. I know that makes me sound selfish, but something about that place just seemed so devoid of hope and drenched with anger and undiluted evil.

But what frightened me most was that the evil essence that seeped through the halls of that wretched school would overwhelm even Naru should we ever become trapped there. For all we knew the charm could be a one-way ticket what if there was no way back? I for one was not so keen on being trapped in what could very well be some kind of hell dimension for the rest of my days. Now I don't know very much about charms myself, it's just that this Sachiko ever after charm, something about it seemed very off.

"Mai, are you going to stand there all day?"

Now if I didn't work hunting ghosts and demons on nearly a daily basis I probably would've shrieked and pissed myself. God I hadn't even realized that I had stopped walking. I slowly turned around and then stepped aside. When our eyes met, for a moment I thought I saw something that resembled concern in his but when I blinked his eyes narrowed in irritation as though he saw something in mine that told him I was having another moment of dumbness.

"Naru, I'm sorry..."

"For what? I'm used to you being slow..."

He gave me a crooked smile that I could swear reached his eyes. This was very uncharacteristic of him I mean his smiles were always fake and emotionless. But this one seemed almost real as though he meant it as though - no it must be all the secrecy I'm feeling guilty about lying to him well not lying but not telling the whole truth about my nightmares. The guilt must be messing with my head making me see a side of him that doesn't exist...well hell, if I don't tell him about these nightmares soon, I'm going to have a psychotic break.

But then it suddenly dawned on me that he just called me stupid again and all thoughts of that smile vanished from my mind. One of these days that jerk is going to find that all of his tea has mysteriously disappeared. Stupid narcissistic brat!

"Oh Mai, while you're at it, since you're here could you make me some tea...please..."

I stared at him a moment as he unlocked his office door and walked through. OK now I must be hearing things as well...did Naru actually just say please?! But then something else occurred to me something about Naru seemed off. The way he held himself as he walked seemed a bit off balance as though he were drugged.

I carefully walked through the door and closed it behind me.

"Naru are you all right? You seem a bit off today."

He sighed heavily and cleared his throat a few times.

"I haven't been sleeping very well if you must know."

I gazed at him in concern for a moment wondering if he was coming down with something.

"I'll um, go get your tea started."

Great I finally decide to tell him that I've been hiding things from him and the rest of SPR since we first met and he's coming down with a blasted cold. I can't imagine that's going to make telling him and having him listen any easier. Not that he's ever really listened to me when he was healthy. I smiled to myself as I finished pouring his tea. This could work in my favor. I can tell him about my nightmares he won't hear or remember a single word and I can still feel as though I've lifted a burden from my shoulders. I paused and groaned at my own insensitive thoughts. Starting to wonder if his narcissistic behavior was rubbing off on me I grabbed his tea and left the kitchen.

A loud noise followed by yelling had me suddenly running towards Naru's office. I felt panicked not knowing whether he was angry and throwing a tantrum or if he was fighting for his life. Either one made entering his room seem like a really bad idea. But I refused to hesitate anymore I've done so for far too long already. I was going to tell him...everything even if it meant having him hate me. I burst into his room and froze to the spot as the most horrifying scene unfolded before me. For a moment I just stared blankly ahead unable to process what I was seeing. A man who looked as though he had been dead for years was brandishing some sort of sledgehammer. Naru was yelling something to me but I couldn't feel anything much less hear anything. I was experiencing a strong sense of déjà vu, I know I had seen this man somewhere before. Not from a dream more like a memory that was trying to knaw it's way to the surface of my mind. Strong arms grabbed me from behind and pulled me to the ground just as a powerful gust of wind shifted above my head. At first I thought it was Naru but the voice that asked if I was OK was not his. When I looked to see who had saved me I came face-to-face with one of the missing kids from my dream and behind him was what appeared to be in rift in space-time revealing the lost heavenly host elementary school of my nightmares.

"Yoshiki!"

Several voices cried out for whom I could only assume was the boy who just rescued me from becoming a bloody mess on the floor.

"What the hell is going on up there?!"

Monk and the others must be making their way up here! They must've heard the struggle from outside and have come to investigate. In that moment I knew what I had to do even though it was probably the most psychotic plan anyone would ever concoct. I would only have a few short moments before the rest of SPR would come barging into the room. I locked eyes with Naru for a moment that seemed like an eternity. However the moment lasted far too long and he seemed to read straight into my plan.

"Mai...don't stupid..."

"No Naru for once I think I'm finally thinking clearly," I glanced at the zombie sledgehammer wielder and then back at Naru, "besides I have to know why."

"Why - what - what must you know - Mai wait!"

As I shoved the blonde boy away for me and ran past the zombie guy through the rift the only thing on my mind was how so badly I wanted to pull Naru into my arms and stay there forever. But I knew I would never forgive myself if I let the only clue to why nightmares of this place have plagued me for my entire life slip through my fingers. I may never get this chance again.

"Help me stop her!"

I heard Naru yelling at the boy named Yoshiki and I paused for a moment wondering if I was truly making the right choice but then the young blonde boy said, "how about I don't and instead I help you find her. You see if we don't leave now we may not even end up in the same space as her."

"Same space I don't under-"

"Look, I also have friends trapped in that fucked up hellhole and I am not about to let them die there! So if you ever wish to see your friend Mai again, then you better make up your mind fast or you may end up losing her forever."

I don't really know what I expected him to do in response to that statement but before I could even fathom I guess Naru picked himself up from the ground and made a mad dash through the rift.

"By the way," Yoshiki shouted, running alongside Naru, "you should probably know that once the rift closes the whole world will forget that you ever existed... Unless that is you can survive."

Naru rolled his eyes, "Gee is that all," and kept running.

"Naru?! What's going on?!"

Naru and Yoshiki both stopped running and turned to face the voice. My eyes widened as fear touched the faces of all our friends in SPR.

"Monk stay back! Whatever you do do not enter the rift!"

A powerful gust of wind swept throughout the rift blocking out Monk's response.

Yoshiki's expression became that of grave urgency. He grabbed me by the arms and forced me to look at him.

"Mai I know it hurts but you'll have to get about them," he then turned his attention to Naru. "If we don't get out here fast we're all going to find out what a human sized blender feels like!"

Naru didn't waste any time as he grabbed my hand and hightailed it out of the rift to the other side. As soon as our feet touched the floor of the dilapidated elementary school the rift closed behind us with the shrill snap. Naru and I both hung our heads as we felt the loss of our friends knowing we would probably never see them again.

"Holy crap muffins where the hell are we? What is this place?!"

We all whipped around and came face-to-face with the rest of SPR. I smiled as tears of a mixture of anger and joy slipped from my eyes down my cheeks. I should've known that nothing could separate our team not even a hell dimension such as the Heavenly Host elementary school. Now the only question was that of our survival. Would we succeed or would we become members of the damned?


End file.
